Nursing Services

Nursing Services

Nursing Services

Nurses at the Philadelphia Shriners Hospital love what they do and strive to continually uphold the high standards that have defined our care. Our nurses are specialized in orthopaedic, spine and rehabilitation services to provide care to each child during their stay. The nurses will ensure the needs of the children and their families are met by individualizing patient care needs.

Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU)

For patients who need close attention and extensive monitoring our pediatric intensive care unit has trained nurses who provide care to a wide range of acute and chronic medical conditions and will work with the patient to assist in recovery. Our PICU is a five-bed unit located on the seventh floor, led by an intensive care physician who is in-house 24 hours, seven days a week. Our team of highly qualified intensivists, nurses and respiratory therapists, provide one-to-one care to our surgical population on a post-operative basis.

Inpatient unit

Our inpatient unit is a 34-bed unit located on the fifth floor. Our team of highly qualified nurses, respiratory therapists, patient care assistants and nurse practitioners provide care to all surgical patients prior to and after surgery, as well as patients during their entire rehabilitation stay.

Sub-acute care

At Shriners Hospitals for Children — Philadelphia, we have established a comprehensive sub-acute care program. Many patients are admitted into the program from external referrals, while several of our inpatients transition into the program, requiring nursing and rehabilitation services. In the program, we focus our expertise and energy on helping children in need with the ultimate goal of returning patients to home and school with the ability to achieve their greatest potential.

Acute care rehabilitation

Children admitted to the acute care rehabilitation program are children who have functional deficits due to illnesses, disease or other disruptions to typical development and have the potential to improve function through a comprehensive, interdisciplinary rehabilitation program. Patients will participate in a minimum of three hours a day of rehabilitation services.

Nutritional services

Our registered dietitian works closely with a diverse interdisciplinary team, providing valuable information regarding appropriate nutrition care for both inpatients and outpatients. They also educate patients and families on maximizing their nutritional status prior to surgery. Once surgery takes place, the dietitian will work closely with your child to ensure your child is meeting his or her nutritional needs for optimal recovery. We provide a room service style meal service for our inpatients, and we have a full-service cafeteria that serves, breakfast, lunch and dinner.

To have a meal with your child, you may purchase your meal in the cafeteria and bring it to your child’s room. If your child is able, you may bring your child with you to the cafeteria. Please let the nursing staff know if you are interested in doing this.

Outpatient services

The outpatient department is designed with patient convenience in mind, with the radiology and orthotics and prosthetics departments nearby on the fourth floor. Clinic nurses will greet you with a smile, take your vital signs, and help to prepare you for your physician visit. Clinic nurses will coordinate with your nurse care manager.Nurse care managers serve as the main contacts for patients at Shriners Hospitals for Children. Care managers assist with any questions related to appointments, future admissions or general needs patients may have. The care managers will set up rehabilitation and surgical admissions, arrange referrals to health care agencies in the patient’s hometown, assist in care planning, coordinate discharge and related needs, and provide support for transition back to home, school and community.

Social services

Social services are provided to patients and their families to meet their medically related social and emotional needs, including psychosocial evaluations, supportive counseling and information. Social workers assist families in obtaining resources and services such as: health insurance, counseling, vocational rehabilitation, specialized Medicaid programs, Supplement Security Income (SSI), funding resources, advocacy services and educational/school programs. Social workers help to ensure that children and families receive care and support in a family-centered, holistic environment where parents, caregivers and patients are encouraged to be an active part of the child’s medical team. Social services also serves as an integral part of the interdisciplinary medical team and is available to provide support and education to staff on psychosocial issues relevant to patient and family needs.